“Oh it’s only a paper form …” – (Nat “King” Cole)

by M. Sigmund ShapiroNovember 23, 2004

Every few years, Customs deems it necessary to modernize. It usually does so by amending some of the forms necessary to enter imported merchandise. The latest effort is form 7501 – the primary document for Customs entry. A draft of this form has been sent out for scrutiny by those concerned.

It must be borne in mind that 100 percent of the information on the form has already been submitted to Customs electronically. Approximately 75% of the time no entry documents are scrutinized by Customs since criteria for entry are reviewed electronically. Even if paper review is desired, the 7501 is not one of them. The form is retained by the importer and broker unless or until Customs demands to see it, usually as part of a post- entry review, audit or investigation.

The newest draft looks just like its predecessors; the same information has been reformatted to allow for a larger font to accommodate the Americans with Disabilities Act. As a result, there is less space on the form for classification and value information and thus requires a second page for completion in the majority of cases.

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